The present invention relates to the field of networked devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to configuring the internet protocol (IP) address of a networked device.
As technology moves towards increased use of computers, an increasing number of computers are being networked together. Networks allow computers to share resources like memory space and access to various devices such as printers. No longer are networks only being used in large institutions, but instead, networks often consist of two or three computers networked to a single shared printer within a small business or a household.
As smaller network environments proliferate, such as in small businesses and households, efficiently managing network communications among the networked devices becomes more important. An important part of managing network communications is assigning addresses such as an internet protocol (IP) address to each device on the network. In order to facilitate efficient and reliable communications among the networked devices, the IP addresses have been managed by either an information technology (IT) administrator or a server that manages the IP addresses such as a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server.
A drawback to the method of employing an IT administrator or a DHCP server to manage IP addresses is that the operating budgets of small networks may not permit management of the IP addresses by an IT administrator or a DHCP server. That is, an IT administrator or a DHCP server may be prohibitively expensive for many small businesses and households. In order to address small networks without the cost of an IT administrator or a DHCP server, manufacturers are installing within their devices a limited operating system for randomly generating an IP address.
As smaller numbers of computers are networked (i.e., small businesses or home environments with a limited number of computers and small budgets), the demand for small networks is increased. In order to facilitate the networking (i.e., assigning and managing IP addresses) of devices, some devices generate their own random IP addresses without the need for an IT person or a DHCP server. Whenever devices are powered up on a network, it randomly generates a new IP address and other devices such as computers, configure themselves to communicate with the devices based on the newly generated IP addresses.